Flashlight switch assembly



April 27, 1954 J. FLEMING FLASHLIGHT SWITCH ASSEMBLY Filed March 25,1951 5 INVENTOR. 4 55m? J. FLEMING.

A TTORNEK Patented Apr. 27, 1954 UNITED STATES iATENT OFFICE Thisinvention relates to improvements in flashlights. The object of thisinvention is to provide a flashlight construction which incorporates thefollowing desirable and advantageous features:

1. A reflector and bulb holding assembly which has a. socket-shapedcontact member to receive the terminal post of the battery cell and toprevent lateral shifting thereof. The socket-shaped contact member whichreceives the terminal post centers the cell in the casing.

2. A switch which is located at the bottom end of the casing, that is,at the end opposite the lens assembly. In conventional flashlights theswitch is generally located in the side of the casing.

3. A. positive loci: in the switch assembly which locks the switcheither in open or closed position.

4. Provision for an auxiliary switch in the event that the permanentswitch goes out of order. The auxiliary switch may comprise a householdkey or a safety pin or any other suitable metal object which may beinserted into an opening which is formed for that purpose in the bottomretaining cap of the casing.

A preferred form of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawing,in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a flashlight made in accordance with thisinvention.

Fig. 2 a top View thereof, looking at the lens of said flashlight.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through said flashlight.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through said flashlight andthrough the battery sheathing.

Fig. 5 is an end view of the flashlight casing, including a fragmentaryview of the reflector.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary longitudinal section on the line 65 of Fig. 5.

Fig. '7 is a transverse section through the flashlight casing on theline l''! of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a bottom view of the flashlight, looking at the switchmechanism.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary section through the bottom end of thecasing, showing the hook-shaped end of one of the conductor bars.

The flashlight ill herein claimed comprises a tubular casing H which isopen at both ends. Longitudinally extending grooves i l are formed inthe inside wall of said casing and said grooves are provided withenlargement it at their respective ends. Mounted in these grooves andfixed therein are conductor bars It which are provided with hooks 20 atboth ends. These hooks are disposed within the enlarged ends it of thegrooves. It will hereinafter be seen that these hooked bars serve twofunctions: the first is to secure the lens assembly 22 to one end of thecasing and the switch assembly 2% to the opposite end of the casing, andthe second is to serve as electrical conductors between said assemblies.

The bulb and reflector assembly 4% is supported in the casing by thelens assembly.

The switch assembly 2 comprises the following elements: a cap-shapedhousing 58 which not only supports the switch mechanism but also thebattery 60 as will hereinafter appear, a shell 62 which is mountedwithin said switch housing 58, a plurality of radially extending pins Ei which secure said shell to said switch housing, a pair of brackets 86on said shell, a bell-crank-shaped contact member 88 pivotally mountedon said brackets 66, and a floating contact plate it? which is movableupwardly and downwardly in said shell 62. It will be noted that pins 5dproject radially outwardly from said switch housing and that they areengageable with hool-zs 2d at the lower ends of conductor bars 58 tosecure said switch housing to the lower end of the casing. The contactplate it is set in an annular rim 12 which extends along its entireperipheral edge and which prevents said contact plate from making directcontact with the floor of shell 52.

Mounted atop the floating contact plate 15! is a compression spring "a lwhich bears up against battery fill and supports said battery in theflash light casing. The central terminal post l3 of the battery projectsupwardly into socket-shaped contact member 5d, and it is held. intensioned contact therewith by said spring i l, The socketshaped contactmember not only conducts current from the battery to the bulb throughspring 52 but it also prevents lateral shifting of the battery in thecasing. It will, of course, be understood that this battery till issimply an ordinary flashlight battery or dry cell intended forflashlight use. It will also be understood that more than one cell maybe mounted in a flashlight made in accordance with this invention andthat the single cell flashlight shown in the drawing is merelyillustrative of the invention.

The flashlight casing, the lens housing 26, shell 48, switch housing 58and rim E2 are all made of electrically non-conductive material, such asplastics. The conductor bars l8, pins 32, reflector '42, tubular memberit and flange id, spring 52, socket-shaped contact member 56, spring ll, contact plate 'Hl, shell 8'2, brackets 68, pivotally mounted contactmember 68, and pins fi l are all made of electrically conductivematerial and it is these latter elements which combine with bulb 54 andbattery 69 to form the electrical circuit of the flashlight hereinclaimed.

The manner in which the switch mechanism operates is shown in Figs. 3and 4. It will be noted that in whatever position pivotally mountedmember 68 happens to be, it is always situated within switch housing 58.The bottom of the switch housing may be described as being flat so thatit can be made to stand upon a flat horizontal surface. Member 68 isprovided with a contact arm 680., a second, electrically insulated arm6%, and a small prominence ($80 which is situated intermediate the twoarms 68a and 682). This prominence is engageable by ones finger in orderto pivot said member 68 in either direction. When it is pivoted to itsFig. 3 position, arm 68a is in contact with contact plate 70 and thecircuit is closed. When it is pivoted to its Fig. 4 position, arm 62a isout oi engagement with contact plate 79 and the circuit is open.

It will be noted in Fig. 8 that looking member 18 comprises a slide 89and a pair of slide retainers or guides 82 which are secured to thebottom of switch housing 58. Slide 80 is slidably movable into and outof engagement with insulated arm 6% of pivoted contact member 68. Whensaid pivoted contact member is in its Fig. 3 position, slide 89 may bepushed into engagement with the top side of arm 68?) to hold saidpivoted member in said position. When the pivoted member 98 is in itsFig. 4 position, slide 80 may be pushed into engagement with the bottomside of arm 68b in order to hold said pivoted contact member in saidposition.

In the event that switch arm or pivoted arm 68 is not in working order,the circuit may be closed by simply pushing a household key or othersuitable metal object through slot 84 in shell 62 until contact is madeboth with said shell and with contact plate 70.

A wire bail H2 is pivotally secured to the outside of the flashlightcasing by means of bracket H4. It will be noted that this bracket issecured a spaced distance from both ends of the casing. Member H2 may behung upon a belt or button for carrying purposes.

It will be understood that the preferred form of this invention abovedescribed may be modified in many respects within the broad spirit ofthe invention and scope of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a flashlight of the character described, a battery retaining capand switch assembly, comprising a cap-shaped switch housing, a floatingcontact plate in said switch housing, a bracket, and a contact memberpivotally mounted on said bracket for movement into and out ofelectrical contact with said contact plate.

2. In a flashlight in accordance with claim 1, a slidably mountedlocking member on said switch housing which is movable into engagementwith one side of the pivotally mounted contact member to maintain saidcontact member in engagement with contact plate, and which is movableinto engagement with the opposite side of said pivotally mounted contactmember to maintain said contact member out of engagement with thecontact plate.

3. In a flashlight in accordance with claim '1, a rubber diaphragmextending across the switch housing to provide a moisture resistantseal, and a slit in said diaphragm through which the pivotally mountedcontact member is movable into and out of contact with the contactplate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PAIENTS NumberName Date 581,139 Rhind Apr. 20, 1897 1,294,485 Kuen Feb. 18, 19191,589,759 Kuen June 22, 1926 1,622,437 Freund Mar. 29, 1927 1,666,420Koretzky Apr. 17, 1928 1,696,266 Coote Dec. 25, 1928 1,699,344 BuchholzJan. 15, 1929 1,845,764 Pryor Feb. 16, 1932 1,855,015 Fraser et al Apr.19, 1932 1,932,352 Moran Oct. 24, 1933 1,977,086 Pryor Oct. 16, 19341,990,504 Stimson Feb. 12, 1935 2,229,495 Desimone Jan. 21, 19412,364,433 Zimmer 1- Dec. 8, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date149,156 Austria Nov. 15, 1936 458,272 Great Britain Dec. 16, 1936

